Cline's Corners

Cline's Corners is a prime example
of perseverance and Roy Cline indeed persevered throughout the years of Route 66. That
perseverance has paid off even today, as Cline's Corners is now a prosperous stop along
Interstate-40. It offers gas, food, and all manner of souvenirs for the tourist. But
Cline's Corners hasn't always been at this same spot. This business that started back in
the hey-day of Route 66 has been moved - more than once! Originally Cline's Corners was
located in Lucy, New Mexico. Business was not good at his gas station back then. Location,
location, location was in Roy's mind even then. He picked up his gas station and moved it
down the road a piece to Highway 6 (later changed to Route 66).

Roy bought the land at the junction of Highway 6 and Highway 2.
In 1937 Route 66 was re-aligned north of Cline's Corner so Roy picked up his building and
moved with it. Once again Roy had to move when the state moved Highway 2 east. The
building followed and finally settled at its final location. Today it sits at the junction
of Highway 285 and Interstate-40 (once Route 66) and business is very good indeed. When I
came through the parking lot at Cline's Corners it was packed and the gas station and
Trading Post were doing a fantastic business. You can find just about anything you want at
the Trading Post too. Rubber tomahawks anyone?

Moriarty, New
Mexico

Moriarty became a part of Route 66
in 1938 with the re-alignment of Route 66 away from Santa Fe. Moriarty was a small
ranching community named after a local rancher who came to the area in the 1880s. By 1902
it was a small town with its own post office. Jack Rittenhouse makes no mention of
Moriarty in his guidebook, but mentions a small crossroads hamlet know as Buford. Buford
has four cafes, six gas stations, and two motor courts according to Rittenhouse. Today
what was once known as Buford is actually a part of Moriarty.

The last of the still operating Whiting Brothers Gas Stations
still stands in Moriarty. It reminds one of the days not to long ago where the familiar WB
on the golden shield could be found all through the southwest. Whiting Brothers was
originally founded in Saint John, Arizona in 1926 and became a familiar sigh all along
Route 66 in the southwest offering inexpensive gas to the traveler. In 1990s the gas chain
ended, and today all that is left are the fading signs and empty stations that can still
be found along the highway. Soon they too will have disappeared and another chapter of
Route 66 history will have vanished.

The last of the Whiting Bros. Gas Stations still services the Route
66 traveler in Moriarty.

Except in Moriarty though, thanks to Sal Lucero,
a lifelong employee of Whiting Bros., their legacy will live on. In the 1980s Sal bought
the station from them and never changed the name. Now his station stands as a tribute to
one of the most fascinating chapters of Mother Road history. Jim Conkle, Executive
Director of the California Route 66 Preservation Foundation, and Sal Lucero discuss the
current state of Route 66. With a resurgence of interest in the Mother Road business
prospects appear somewhat brighter for the "mom and pop" businesses along her
corridor.

JR's Tire Shop in Moriarty has been located on Route
66 for decades. It is indicative of the many automobile related businesses that once
thrived along Route 66 and other major two-lanes in the days before the Interstates. But
JR's Tire Shop has a distinct New Mexico character. The southwestern architecture and
original art work displayed on the walls blend together to create a wonderful Route 66
experience for the modern traveler. Whether your automobile needs service and tires or you
just stopped to look around, JR's Tire exemplifies what Route 66 was and to a certain
degree still is today.

Edgewood,
New Mexico

Route 66
becomes Hwy 333 out of Moriarty and continues west through the small towns of Edgewood and
Barton. Small towns that once serviced the Mother Road traveler and depended on Route 66
for their survival. This abandoned trading post outside of Edgewood attests to busier
times a long time ago along the Main Street of America.

Tijeras Canyon

My Grandmother on Route 66 in the early 1950s

Route 66 winds through Edgewood, and Barton then
begins to climb in elevation to about 7000 feet. From here Route 66 starts to drop down
towards Albuquerque on a winding road through Tijeras Canyon. Tijeras Canyon is a
picturesque Route 66 drive into Albuquerque. Tijeras Canyon was the gateway to
Albuquereque in the hey-day of Route 66. This section of the old road offers majestic
vistas of the Rio Grande Valley and the awesome Sandis Mountains. Imagine the delight the
old Route 66 travelers had when the whole world seemed to open up and spread out below
them. In the distance lay the old town of Albuquerque, with its motor courts, cafes, and
gas stations. The small town of Tijeras is nestled in the canyon. Originally named for a
family who lived in the area in the mid 1800s, the name is Spanish for scissors.

Photographs Taken September 2002 & May 2003

Click on an area or
city of Route 66 on the map below to take a cyber tour of that section of the Mother
Road

NAVIGATION NOTE: Buckle up and hold on to your mouse! These pages are arranged like the
map above, from the western state border to the eastern state border. I have set up this
site as if you were traveling from EAST to WEST, much like the Joad family in The
Grapes of Wrath. You can click on the Route 66 shields to "travel"
the Mother Road in either direction though. Or you can select any shield below to take you
to that specific state.